Political Pentecostalism and Faith-Based Development in Nigeria : Rethinking the Postcolonial Megachurch

This book examines how the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), mobilises its theological and political interests to invest in social development in Nigeria.Focusing on the church’s extensive development portfolio, the book analyses how the RCCG negotiates the tension between charity-driven social welfare and a prosperity-centred theology that underwrites large-scale commercial enterprise. Drawing on ethnographic research with senior church leaders and development institutions, the book shows how prosperity theology is not simply a doctrine of accumulation, but a strategic resource that enables the RCCG to bankroll an effective Pentecostal micro-state.Through investments in both education, healthcare and welfare, and profit-generating enterprises, the RCCG compensates for state failure while generating political capital to support a wider religious and socio-political vision. Situating these practices within the framework of third-generation Pentecostalism, the book establishes productive parallels between RCCG theology and Catholic social teaching, demonstrating how both traditions draw on religious content to shape individuals, institutions, and communities.Through offering a balanced assessment of prosperity theology and a detailed organisational analysis of RCCG development institutions, this study provides a significant contribution to scholarship on African Pentecostalism, theology, and urban development.